Countywide : Condor Succumbs to Lead Poisoning
The sickly California condor that was suffering from lead poisoning died Saturday, 15 days after the female bird was captured and brought to the San Diego Wild Animal Park in a desperate attempt to save its life.
The bird died about two hours after veterinarians surgically implanted a tube from its neck to its stomach in an effort to get nutrition into the emaciated condor, said Bill Toone, a Wild Animal Park spokesman.
Shotgun pellets from the carcasses of animals that the condor apparently swallowed caused the severe lead poisoning, Toone said.
The bird, which was captured in southern Kern County, had not eaten for about six weeks. Lead poisoning affects the nervous system and the condor was unable to swallow.
Only 27 California condors are still known to exist. Of those, five remain in the wild while the remainder are at the Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo.
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